Pakistan’s Extremist Democracy
by Ahmed Rashid NYR BLOG This spring was supposed to open a new chapter in Pakistan’s tenuous embrace of inclusive democracy. At midnight on March 17, following constitutional rules, the […]
Decentralize the Church: How the New Pope Can Combat Catholic-Phobia
Source: Spiegel. The Catholic Church is out of touch with believers, and risks losing more of the flock if it fails to reform. An important step would be giving national […]
Al-Assaf: Fitch move boosts Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s global standing
Jeddah: ARAB NEWS Thursday 21 March 2013 Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said that yesterday’s positive rating announced by Fitch Ratings, an international agency, would enhance confidence in the strength of Saudi economy and its continued growth. His remarks came after Fitch Ratings affirmed Saudi Arabia’s Long-Term foreign and local currency […]
Community in Crisis: Bitter Conflicts Divide Berlin Jews
Source: Spiegel dapd Amid accusations of waste, nepotism and smear campaigns, long-established members of Berlin’s Jewish Community are in open conflict with relative newcomers from abroad. Severe financial difficulties are at the core of their problems with one another. More:
Pope Francis Talks Celibacy, Pedophilia In 2012 Interview (Report)
Epigraph: Then We caused Our Messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow them, and We gave him the Gospel. And We placed […]
China may wear out African welcome
Source: Asia Times. By Nan Chen From the eight-lane Nairobi-Thika highway built by Chinese construction companies to the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants around town, the signs of China’s activity are everywhere in Kenya – right down to the friendly nihao called out by Kenyans as I walk down a Nairobi street. […]
Amid civil war, Syrian port prospers under Assad’s protection
Source: JORDAN TIMES TARTOUS — This once sleepy Syrian port now buzzes with shoppers milling about crowded marketplaces. Lines of cars wait patiently at traffic lights — a rare mark […]
He sticks to his one and only message; Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran.
Source: Asia Times: By Pepe Escobar. So here’s a modern geopolitical parable that would puzzle Aesop. Bibi publicly insults POTUS. He unabashedly supports Mitt Romney (who?) in the US presidential elections. He hits the “peace process” with a barrage of Hellfire “facts on the ground” (with loads of Palestine “collateral […]
Australian PM calls for leadership ballot
Source: TOI CANBERRA: The Australian government plunged into crisis with Prime Minister Julia Gillard caving in to building pressure and calling a leadership ballot of her ruling Labor party for later Thursday. Her decision follows senior cabinet minister Simon Crean openly calling for the move with Gillard lagging badly in […]
Interpol rejects Pakistan’s request to arrest Pervez Musharraf
Source: TOI ISLAMABAD: The Interpol has turned down Pakistan’s request to issue a red corner notice for the former military ruler PervezMusharraf for refusing to cooperate in the probe into BenazirBhutto’s assassination, days ahead of his homcoming from self-exile. Musharraf has cleared the final hurdle to his plans to return […]
‘Desecration’ of holy book causes uproar in Sikh community
Source: Dawn.Com Photo shows a copy of the letter sent by the Delhi Dharam Parchar Committee to the Pakistani High Commission. A copy of the letter in its entirety can be seen here. SHIKARPUR/KARACHI: A huge rift over the alleged desecration of a holy book was averted in Shikarpur after […]
Serbia, Kosovo talks fail to reach deal
ar 21, 2013 – 01:31 BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Serbia and Kosovo failed to reach an agreement on Wednesday to end the ethnic partition of the former Serbian province, but European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she hoped a new round of talks next month would seal a deal. […]
New numbers : Asylum requests jump in Switzerland, worldwide
Mar 20, 2013 – SWISSINFO Switzerland had the sixth most asylum requests of any country in 2012 – the most since 1999 – and requests were up eight per cent […]
The Myth of Christian Persecution
Huff Post: by Candida Moss. Even the earliest, most ostensibly trustworthy martyrdom stories have been edited and reworked. The authors of these accounts borrowed from ancient mythology, changed the details of events to make the martyrs appear more like Jesus, and made the Roman antagonists increasingly venomous. The motivations of […]
Happy Nowruz to All!
Source: Huff Post, by Homa Sabet Tawangar. Nowruz is the primary holiday for Persians, and it is the only holiday celebrated by all Persians, of every religious background, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Baha’i or of no religion. It is the focal point of the year for Iranians, as well as a […]
Correction: The Akbar Zeb story: too good to be true
Credit- Comment by Azmat Malik-FP: Posted By David Kenner I wrote last week about Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada Akbar Zeb’s reported rejection as ambassador to Saudi Arabia due to the unfortunate Arabic translation of his name as “biggest dick.” Alas, the story turns out to be false: Mr. Zeb has […]
How Artists Invented the Christian Jesus
Huff Post: If you looked at Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century painting “The Last Supper” and didn’t know that it depicted a gathering of Jesus and his disciples for a Passover celebration, you would probably think it was a get-together of Christian monks. Not surprising, since that’s just what it […]
Bradford MP and community give backing to family’s plea to stay in UK
The Telegraph and Argus: A Muslim missionary and his family who are facing deportation to Pakistan have won the support of a Bradford MP and hundreds of campaigners. Supporters fear […]
Video: John Alexandar Dowie- A sign of the Truth of Promised Messiah
Alislam.org: Youtube: Published on Mar 20, 2013 A documentary about John Alexander Dowie, who was an opponent of the Promised Messiah (as). Narrated by Ahmad Mubarak. © Copyright MTA International. […]
Where is the Muslim Pope?
By Haris Raja, Baltimore, MD. Pope Francis’ election made history. All eyes were on the smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney where cardinals gathered to elect the Pope. It was an important election as some, such as Cardinal McCarrick were concerned about the growing threats to religious freedom and harassment of Christians around the world. There was another smoke that did […]